Taylor Berman

Saturday night, a woman woke in the middle of the night to loud banging sounds coming from the first floor of her North Reading, Massachusetts home. Fearing a burglar, the woman called police, who arrived and discovered the culprit—a female wood duck—after searching the house.

When police arrived at the house, they found no sign of a break-in. Baffled, they searched the home, eventually discovering the duck, who was covered with soot. Police believe the bird entered the house through an open chimney and then flew into the ceiling, leaving behind a duck-shaped soot outline.

Officer Greg Connolly captured the duck and released her into a nearby pond.